Short projectile pistol

ABSTRACT

A toy projectile launcher pistol having a handle with an internal projectile storage area; at least one pair of inwardly biased resilient flaps; an air piston assembly having a barrel and a plunger element; a sliding handle coupled to the barrel, the sliding handle and barrel being movable between a forward position and a backward position; an extension spring that biases the plunger element to-wards a front portion of the toy projectile launcher pistol; and a latching assembly that couples the plunger element to a trigger assembly when the sliding handle is moved to the backward position, and the trigger assembly, upon toggling, releases the coupling of the latching assembly between the plunger element and the trigger assembly.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to the followingapplications: U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/020,086, filed May 5,2020 and entitled Short Projectile Pistol With Storage Handle; and U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/112,213, filed Nov. 11, 2020 and entitledShort Projectile Pistol. The contents of these application areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to a toy projectilelauncher, such as a toy pistol, gun, and the like, for launching toyprojectiles, such as foam bullets, darts, balls, and the like, with aspring-loaded air piston assembly arrangement for miniaturizing thelauncher.

BACKGROUND

Traditional toy projectile launchers have utilized various forms ofrifles, pistols, blasters, machine guns, and the like, for launching toyprojectiles, such as foam balls, darts, to name a few. Such toylaunchers have varied in size, power, storage capacity, to name a few.More specifically, toy launchers of foam projectiles—bullets (or“darts”), balls, and the like—have become ubiquitous. One standard forfoam bullets has been marketed under the brand name Nerf® with a rubbertip and a foam body that totals approximately 71.5 mm in length. Therehave been various types of rifles, machine guns, and the like, that havebeen marketed for launching such foam projectiles.

In most cases, the launchers for these standard Nerf foam bullets havebeen large rifle-style launchers that can be inflexible and unwieldyduring play. Accordingly, there has been a need for a more portable foamor plastic toy projectile launcher that provides for more flexible playwithout sacrificing launch velocity and accuracy.

SUMMARY

To address the above, the present disclosure is generally related to animproved toy launcher for launching a shorter foam bullet, where thelauncher is in the form of a pistol that utilizes a spring-loaded airpiston assembly having a front anchor for miniaturizing the launcher.Advantageously, an effective, user-friendly, and high-performanceblaster may be realized in a compact design for quick draw applicationsthat, nevertheless, provides high velocity and accurate projectilelaunching.

Particularly, the present invention is directed to a toy launcher with atwo-step loading/priming and firing mechanism that decreases the size ofthe launcher while realizing high launching force for compactprojectiles.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the toy launcher incorporates ahandle that houses an opening for receiving a detachable cartridge and aspring-loaded reciprocating cylindrical/air piston assembly that isconfigured to uncover an opening for loading the cartridge into thehandle in a first rearward priming movement via a corresponding rearwardmovement of a cocking slide by a user. The simplified construction withthe reciprocating air piston assembly of the present inventionsignificantly reduces the size and material costs of the launcher incomparison to the conventional mechanisms.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a toy projectile launchercomprises: a handle comprising an opening for receiving a detachablecartridge; at least one pair of resilient flaps, the at least one pairof resilient flaps being inwardly biased and disposed on respectivefirst and second sides at a top opening of the detachable cartridge; anair piston assembly that comprises a barrel and a plunger element; asliding handle coupled to the barrel, the sliding handle being movablebetween a forward position and a backward position, thereby moving thebarrel between corresponding forward and backward positions; a springthat biases the plunger element to a front anchor in the toy projectilelauncher; and a latching assembly that couples the plunger element to atrigger assembly when the sliding handle is moved to the backwardposition and the barrel is moved to the corresponding backward position,where the barrel covers at least a portion of the top opening when inthe corresponding forward position and the at least one pair ofresilient flaps contact the respective first and second sides of thebarrel, and the trigger assembly, upon toggling, releases the couplingof the latching assembly between the plunger element and the triggerassembly.

In embodiments, the plunger element extends the spring from the frontanchor when the sliding handle is moved to the backward position.

In embodiments, a projectile from the detachable cartridge is heldbetween the at least one pair of resilient flaps when the barrel ismoved to the corresponding backward position.

In embodiments, the sliding handle, when moved to the backward position,creates an opening in the toy projectile launcher for receiving thedetachable cartridge.

In embodiments, when the sliding handle is moved from the backwardposition to the forward position with the latching assembly coupling theplunger element to the trigger assembly, the barrel is moved to thecorresponding forward position and forms an internal air chamber withthe plunger element, the internal air chamber being filled with airdrawn in from a front nozzle of the barrel.

In embodiments, a projectile is disposed immediately adjacent the frontnozzle of the barrel when the sliding handle is moved from the backwardposition to the forward position.

In embodiments, the plunger element is pulled forward by the spring toexpel the air from the internal air chamber through the front nozzle ofthe barrel when the coupling of the latching assembly between theplunger element and the trigger assembly is released.

A toy projectile launcher according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention comprises: a launch barrel; a handle comprising aninternal projectile storage area; at least one pair of resilient flaps,the at least one pair of resilient flaps being inwardly biased anddisposed on respective first and second sides at a top opening of theinternal projectile storage area; an air piston assembly that comprisesa barrel and a plunger element; a sliding handle coupled to the barrel,the sliding handle being movable between a for-ward position and abackward position, thereby moving the barrel between correspondingfor-ward and backward positions; a spring that biases the plungerelement towards a front portion of the toy projectile launcher; and alatching assembly that couples the plunger element to a trigger assemblywhen the sliding handle is moved to the backward position and the barrelis moved to the corresponding backward position, wherein the barrelcovers at least a portion of the top opening when in the correspondingforward position forming an airtight seal between the launch barrel andthe barrel and the one or more pairs of resilient flaps contact therespective first and second sides of the barrel, and the triggerassembly, upon toggling, releases the coupling of the latching assemblybe-tween the plunger element and the trigger assembly.

In an exemplary embodiment, the plunger element extends the extensionspring away from the front portion when the sliding handle is moved tothe backward position.

In an exemplary embodiment, a projectile from the internal projectilestorage area is held between the at least one pair of resilient flapswhen the barrel is moved to the corresponding backward position.

In an exemplary embodiment, the sliding handle, when moved to thebackward position, creates an opening in the toy projectile launcher forloading projec-tiles into the internal projectile storage area.

In an exemplary embodiment, when the sliding handle is moved from thebackward position to the forward position with the latching assemblycoupling the plunger element to the trigger assembly, the barrel ismoved to the corresponding forward position and forms an internal airchamber with the plunger element, the internal air chamber being filledwith air drawn in from a front nozzle of the barrel.

In an exemplary embodiment, the plunger element is pulled forward by theextension spring to expel the air from the internal air chamber throughthe front nozzle of the barrel when the coupling of the latchingassembly between the plunger element and the trigger assembly isreleased.

In an exemplary embodiment, the toy projectile launcher further comprisea projectile in the in-ternal air chamber immediately adjacent the frontnozzle of the barrel.

In an exemplary embodiment, the barrel has an oval cross-section.

In an exemplary embodiment, the oval shape of the barrel in-corporates a7:5 height-to-width ratio.

A toy projectile launcher according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention comprises: a launch barrel; a projectile storage area;a pair of inwardly-biased resilient flaps disposed on respective firstand second sides at a top opening of the projectile storage area; anoval-shaped air piston assembly that comprises a barrel and a plungerelement; a sliding handle coupled to the barrel, the sliding handlebeing movable between a for-ward position and a backward position,thereby moving the barrel between corresponding for-ward and backwardpositions; a spring that biases the plunger element towards a frontportion of the toy projectile launcher; and a latching assembly thatcouples the plunger element to a trigger assembly when the slidinghandle is moved to the backward position and the barrel is moved to thecorresponding backward position, wherein the barrel covers the topopening when in the corresponding forward position forming an airtightseal between the launch barrel and the barrel and the pair ofinwardly-biased resilient flaps contact the respective first and secondsides of the barrel, and the trigger assembly, upon toggling, releasesthe coupling of the latching assembly be-tween the plunger element andthe trigger assembly.

A toy projectile launcher according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention comprises: a launch barrel; a handle comprising aninternal projectile storage area; at least one pair of resilient flaps,the at least one pair of resilient flaps being inwardly biased anddisposed on respective first and second sides at a top opening of theinternal projectile storage area; an air piston assembly that comprisesa barrel and a plunger element; a sliding handle coupled to the barrel,the sliding handle being movable between a for-ward position and abackward position, thereby moving the barrel between correspondingfor-ward and backward positions; a compression spring that biases theplunger element away from a rear wall in the toy projectile launcher;and a latching assembly that couples the plunger element to a triggerassembly when the sliding handle is moved to the backward position andthe barrel is moved to the corresponding backward position, wherein thebarrel covers at least a portion of the top opening when in thecorresponding forward position forming an airtight seal between thelaunch barrel and the barrel and the one or more pairs of resilientflaps contact the respective first and second sides of the barrel, andthe trigger assembly, upon toggling, releases the coupling of thelatching assembly be-tween the plunger element and the trigger assembly.

In an exemplary embodiment, the plunger element compresses thecompression spring against the rear wall when the sliding handle ismoved to the backward position.

In an exemplary embodiment, a projectile from the internal projectilestorage area is held between the at least one pair of resilient flapswhen the barrel is moved to the corresponding backward position.

In an exemplary embodiment, the sliding handle, when moved to thebackward position, creates an opening in the toy projectile launcher forloading projectiles into the internal projectile storage area.

In an exemplary embodiment, when the sliding handle is moved from thebackward position to the forward position with the latching assemblycoupling the plunger element to the trigger assembly, the barrel ismoved to the corresponding forward position and forms an internal airchamber with the plunger element, the internal air chamber being filledwith air drawn in from a front nozzle of the barrel.

In an exemplary embodiment, the plunger element is pushed forward by thecompression spring to expel the air from the internal air chamberthrough the front nozzle of the barrel when the coupling of the latchingassembly between the plunger element and the trigger assembly isreleased.

In an exemplary embodiment, the toy projectile launcher furthercomprises a projectile in the in-ternal air chamber immediately adjacentthe front nozzle of the barrel.

In an exemplary embodiment, the at least one pair of resilient flapscomprises a front pair of resilient flaps and a back pair of resilientflaps disposed at respective front and back portions of the top openingof the internal projectile storage area.

In an exemplary embodiment, the barrel has an oval cross-section.

In an exemplary embodiment, the oval shape of the barrel in-corporates a7:5 height-to-width ratio.

A toy projectile launcher according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention comprises: a projectile storage area; a front pair ofinwardly-biased resilient flaps disposed on respective first and secondsides at a front portion of a top opening of the projectile storagearea;

a rear pair of inwardly-biased resilient flaps disposed on therespective first and second sides at a rear portion of the top openingof the projectile storage area; an oval-shaped air piston assembly thatcomprises a barrel and a plunger element; a sliding handle coupled tothe barrel, the sliding handle being movable between a for-ward positionand a backward position, thereby moving the barrel between correspondingfor-ward and backward positions; a compression spring that biases theplunger element away from a rear wall in the toy projectile launcher;and a latching assembly that couples the plunger element to a triggerassembly when the sliding handle is moved to the backward position andthe barrel is moved to the corresponding backward position, wherein thebarrel covers the top opening when in the corresponding forward positionand the front and rear pairs of the inwardly-biased resilient flapscontact the respective first and second sides of the barrel, and thetrigger assembly, upon toggling, releases the coupling of the latchingassembly be-tween the plunger element and the trigger assembly.

A toy projectile launcher according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention comprises: a launch barrel; a body and a handle; aprojectile storage area in the handle in communication with the body;and an air piston assembly in the body, the air piston assemblycomprising a barrel, a plunger element and a nozzle, the barrel moveablerelative to the plunger from an uncocked position to a cocked positionwherein the nozzle is immediately adjacent the projectile storage areaadjacent the body in the cocked position forming an airtight sealbetween the barrel and the launch barrel.

In an exemplary embodiment, the air piston assembly has an oval shapedcross-section with a narrower side extending across a width of the bodyof the launcher.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described withreferences to the accompanying figures, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of key elementsof a toy projectile launcher with an empty handle according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional rear view of a cartridge for usewith the launcher of FIG. 1A in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 1C is a schematic cross-sectional side view of the cartridge shownin FIG. 1B.

FIG. 2A is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of a projectilelauncher with a fully-loaded cartridge inserted into the handle and in arearward loading and priming (cocked) position according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view correspondingto FIG. 2A for illustrating slant angles of the launcher handle inaccordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG.1C for illustrating a slant angle of the cartridge in accordance withanother exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3A is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of theprojectile launcher of FIG. 2A in a forward firing position according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3B is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view correspondingto FIG. 3A showing the launcher in accordance with another exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional front view across the A-A line in FIG. 3B.

FIG. 4 is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of a projectilelauncher in a position immediately after a first dart has been launchedaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5A is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of key elementsof a toy projectile launcher with an empty storage area in the handleaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5B is a schematic cross-sectional front view of the launcher alongthe 5B-5B line in FIG. 5A.

FIG. 5C is an inset closeup side view illustrating details of anassembly at the top portion of an internal storage area in the handleaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of a projectilelauncher with a fully-loaded storage area in the handle of a projectilelauncher in a rearward loading and priming (cocked) position accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6B is a schematic cross-sectional front view of launcher along the6B-6B line in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6C is a partial cross-sectional front view of the top portion ofthe internal storage area to illustrate loading of the projectiles whilein the loading (cocked) position shown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of a projectilelauncher with a fully-loaded internal storage area in the handle of aprojectile launcher in a forward firing position according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7B is a schematic cross-sectional front view of launcher along the7B-7B line in FIG. 7A.

FIG. 7C is a closeup view of the interface between the rear portion of atrigger assembly and a plate when the trigger of the launcher isactivated according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of a projectilelauncher in a position after a first dart having been launched accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a drawing illustrating a comparison between a conventionalfoam dart that is 71.5 mm long and a foam dart that is 37.5 mm long foruse with the storage handle in accordance with an exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional side view of key elements of a toyprojectile launcher with an empty storage area in the handle incorrespondence the side view of FIG. 5A but from an opposite side andaccording to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11A is a schematic cross-sectional side view that corresponds toFIG. 10 of a projectile launcher with an empty internal storage area inthe handle of a projectile launcher in a forward firing position withone dart primed in a firing position according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11B is a schematic cross-sectional front view of launcher along the11B-11B line in FIG. 11A.

FIG. 11C is a closeup front partial cross-sectional view of an internalair cylinder of the launcher shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 includes a number of diagrams illustrating the toy projectilelauncher being inserted and housed in a corresponding holster accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is generally related to an improved toy launcherwith a spring-loaded air piston assembly having a front anchor in thelauncher.

In the disclosure below, reference numerals with a trailing letter a orb denote elements on respective sides of toy launcher 100 and each ofthese elements have the same corresponding features but in mirroredarrangements in launcher 100.

FIG. 1A is a schematic side partial cross-sectional view of key elementsof a toy projectile launcher 100 with an empty handle 103 according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1B is aschematic rear partial cross-sectional view of a fully-loaded cartridge105 for insertion into the handle 103 of launcher 100 shown in FIG. 1A.FIG. 1C is a schematic side partial cross-sectional view of thecartridge 105 shown in FIG. 1B. For clarity and simplicity inillustrating the key elements and mechanisms of toy projectile launcher100 and cartridge 105, portions that are not necessary to understand thescope and the spirit of the present disclosure are not shown. One ofordinary skill in the art would readily understand the supportingelements needed to house and support the various illustrated elementswith differing design choices that would not depart from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1A, projectile launcher 100 is shaped to resemble apistol and handle 103 is shaped to resemble a pistol grip. In exemplaryembodiments, launcher 100 may be in various other shapes andarrangements without departing from the spirit and the scope of theinvention, as detailed below. As illustrated in FIG. 1A, a reciprocatingair piston assembly comprised of a barrel 205 and a plunger 210 islocated above the handle 103 and housed within the projectile launcher100. Handle 103 incorporates an opening 130 for inserting cartridge 105and for placing foam darts 400 stored therein into position for primingand launching by the air piston assembly, as will be described infurther detail below. According to an exemplary embodiment, the barrel205 of the air piston assembly has a generally rounded cylindrical crosssection or, as described in further detail below, an oval shape crosssection. A correspondingly shaped plunger element 210 is biased towardsthe front portion of launcher 100 by an extension spring 220, which iscoupled to a front anchor 222 within the housing of launcher 100, via aplunger rod 306 and a dome-shaped catch portion 305. The plunger element210 incorporates a size and a shape that correspond with an internalcross section of barrel 205 so as to form an airtight seal with aninternal surface of barrel 205. According to an exemplary embodiment ofthe invention, plunger element 210 incorporates a resilient O-ring 212(FIG. 1A) to form an improved seal.

As shown in FIG. 1A, plunger rod portion 306 extends from plungerelement 210 towards the front of launcher 100 through a front opening inbarrel 205. A resilient O-ring 213 (made from a resilient material, suchas a polymer) is fitted on the outside of a front wall portion of barrel205 around rod portion 306 for preserving an airtight seal within barrel205 while allowing rod portion 306 to move backward and forward throughthe front opening in barrel 205 between the positions shown in FIGS. 1Aand 2A. Correspondingly, a cushioning resilient O-ring 214 (made from aresilient material, such as a polymer) is incorporated around rodportion 306 at a front surface of plunger element 210 for cushioning theimpact of plunger element 210 on the front wall portion of barrel 205,as well as to contribute to air compression within barrel 205 duringprojectile launch.

Referring to FIGS. 1B and 1C, cartridge 105 includes a loadingcompression spring 115 and a pusher block 120 that provide upward forceon loaded foam darts 400-1 . . . 400-6. In the illustrative embodiment,cartridge 105 has a capacity for holding six (6) darts 400-1 . . . 400-6and is dimensioned to fit in alignment with a bottom portion of handle103 at opening 130, as shown in FIG. 2A. In embodiments, cartridge 105may have a higher or lower dart capacity and may be dimensioned to fitwith a longer or shorter handle or may extend from the bottom portion ofhandle 103 shown in FIG. 2A.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1C, cartridge 105 incorporates a slantedprofile and storage area wherein successively loaded darts are held inprogressively forward positions—as reflected by topmost dart 400-1 beingoriented in a forwardmost position in relation to the other loaded darts400, including bottommost dart 400-6. Thus, the slanted profile ofcartridge 105 provides for a fit into opening 130 that is also slantedat a same angle in accordance with the profile of handle 103 of launcher100. As will be described in further detail, the slant angle of opening130 and cartridge 105 may be approximately 18 degrees from vertical orthereabouts. Correspondingly, at least a portion of the front surface ofhandle 103 may also be 18 degrees from vertical based on grip comfort tothe user. It should be appreciated that the slant angle of the opening130 and cartridge 105, as well as that of the handle 103, is not limitedto 18 degrees, and other angles are possible without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1C,cartridge 105 incorporates the slanted profile while providing for darts400 that are aligned with the axis of launching barrel 415 and thefiring direction of launcher 100. As will be described in further detailbelow, foam darts 400—which may be, in alternative embodiments, bullets,balls, and the like—would be advanced by spring 115 via block 120 suchthat topmost dart 400-1 would be delivered to a loading position inlauncher 100 for launch by the aforementioned air piston assemblycomprising barrel 205 and plunger element 210 through launching barrel415. As shown in FIGS. 1B and 1C, cartridge 105 includes a set ofresilient side flaps 130 a and 130 b that push inward against a topmostdart 400-1 for aligning it to the firing direction of launcher 100 andfor placing into a launch position, as will be described in furtherdetail below.

As shown in FIG. 1C, a torsion spring 140 b exerts an inward force onflap 130 b (and a similar spring 140 a exerts a corresponding inwardforce on flap 130 a, not shown) so that the flap 130 b would be movedinward towards a loaded projectile—i.e., dart 400-1. According to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention, flap 130 b (and 130 a)includes a slanted trailing edge 145 b (and 145 a not shown) along whichit may be pushed outward by barrel 205 when it is moved forward towardsthe position shown in FIG. 1A from a rearward priming (cocked) position,as described below and illustrated in FIG. 2A. Additionally, the slantedtrailing edge 145 b of flap 130 b, along with a corresponding trailingedge of flap 130 a (not shown), provide for loading projectiles intocartridge 105 by sliding said projectiles along the trailing edges topush flaps 130 a and 130 b outward, and to allow the projectiles to beinserted into the storage area of cartridge 105. In embodiments, flaps130 a and 130 b may be tapered outward towards the rear of launcher 100when inserted into handle 103 via opening 130 for receiving, and forbeing pushed outward by, barrel 205 as it is moved forward towards theposition shown in FIG. 1A from a rearward priming position describedbelow and illustrated in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2A is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view of projectilelauncher 100 in a rearward priming and loading (cocked) positionaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. As shownin FIG. 2A, barrel 205 is coupled to a sliding top handle or cockingslide 225. As a user pulls back on handle 225 in a first, pull-back,priming step—in a fashion similar to a cartridge-loaded pistol, seebackward arrow adjacent cocking slide 225 in FIG. 2A—barrel 205 ispulled back to a rearward “cocked” position. Correspondingly, the frontwall portion of barrel 205, via O-ring 214, pushes plunger element 210to the rearward “cocked” position shown in FIG. 2A. As a result, spring220 is extended between plunger element 210 and front anchor 222.Advantageously, plunger element 210 starts at a position near a frontportion of barrel 205, as shown in FIG. 1A, and, therefore, extensionspring 220 may be fully extended in the position illustrated in FIG. 2A.By providing a front anchored extension spring 220 (as opposed to acompression spring from the rear portion of launcher 100), a largerbarrel 205 may be provided behind dart 400-1 shown in FIG. 2A whileallowing for a spring of sufficient size and forward force to launchdarts 400 at a high velocity.

As shown in FIG. 2A, plunger element 210 is coupled via rod portion 306to a dome-shaped catch portion 305, both of which are extendible throughan aperture 310 incorporated in a plate 315 (which may be spring-loaded)that is, in turn, coupled to a trigger assembly 320. When a user pullscocking slide 225 backward, rod portion 306 and dome-shaped catchportion 305 are pulled backwards by plunger element 210. A leading edgeof dome-shaped catch portion 305 is rounded and when it is pushedbackward, the rounded leading sloped edge pushes upward on a top edge ofaperture 310 (see FIG. 1A) in plate 315, so that catch portion 305 canbe pushed through aperture 310 from the front of plate 315 to clear anopposing back side of plate 315, as illustrated in FIG. 2A. Once catchportion 305 is pushed sufficiently past plate 315 through aperture 310,plate 315 is moved back downward—for example, by a spring (notshown)—into engagement with a notch or recess 330 (see FIG. 1A) oppositethe rounded face of catch portion 305 so that catch portion 305—and,correspondingly, plunger element 210—is engaged with, and temporarilyretained in place by plate 315. As shown in FIG. 2A, the notch 330 hooksto the opposing back side of plate 315 above aperture 310 once plate 315is pushed downwardly—say, by a spring (not shown)—into notch 330 and,accordingly, a top edge of aperture 310 is pushed into a bottom surfaceof notch 330 (see FIGS. 1A and 2A)—thus, plate 315 and notch 330together form a latching assembly for holding catch portion 305, andplunger element 210, in the backward position.

As further shown in FIG. 2A and described above, with catch portion 305and rod portion 306 being pulled back by plunger element 210, spring 220is extended from the front anchor 222 within launcher 100 and held inthe extended state by plate 315 and notch 330, which are hooked andengaged with each other. As shown in FIG. 2A, a structural stop 227 isprovided to abut a leading surface of catch portion 305 and to, thereby,limit the backward motion of cocking slide 225 to the above fullextension position—i.e., the engagement position between notch 330 andplate 315.

Correspondingly, with barrel 205 and cocking slide 225 moved back to theconfiguration shown in FIG. 2A, an opening is created at a bottomportion of launcher 100 above opening 130 in handle 103 for the loadingof cartridge 105 and darts 400. As shown in FIG. 2A, a fully loadedcartridge 105 is inserted into handle 103 and the uppermost dart 400-1is pushed upward and maintained in a priming position in front of barrel205 in the internal chamber of launcher 100—by spring 115 and block 120exerting an upward force on dart 400-6 and the other darts 400 incartridge 105. Again, while FIG. 2A illustrates a cartridge 105 with acapacity for six (6) foam darts, cartridge 105—and, optionally, handle103—may have a different length and capacity for any number of darts400-n up to a reasonable length so as not to render launcher 100 overlycumbersome.

As described above and as illustrated in FIG. 2A, spring-loaded flaps130 a (not shown) and 130 b apply approximately equal inward force andapproximately equal downward force so that dart 400-1 is held in placein an aligned priming position in front of barrel 205.

FIG. 2B is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view correspondingto FIG. 2A for illustrating slant angles of the launcher handle inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG.2B illustrates launcher 1000 having a slightly longer handle 1030 thanhandle 100 of launcher 100 shown in FIG. 2A. Launcher 1000 is otherwisethe same as launcher 100 and duplicative description of its elements areomitted. As illustrated in FIG. 2B, handle 1030 of launcher 1000includes a front grip surface 1031 and a rear grip surface 1032. Asfurther illustrated in FIG. 2B, a main portion of front grip surface1031 is at a 72 degree angle from horizontal—in other words, the mainportion is at an 18 degree angle from vertical. Correspondingly, a mainportion of the rear grip surface 1032 is at 66 degrees from horizontal,or 24 degrees from vertical. In other words, handle 1030 narrowsslightly upward towards trigger 320 and widens slightly downward towardsthe butt of handle 1030. The aforementioned surface angles may beadjusted for user grip comfort without departing from the spirit andscope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2C is a schematic cross-sectional side view corresponding to FIG.1C for illustrating a slant angle of the cartridge in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. In correspondence withFIG. 2B, FIG. 2C illustrates cartridge 1050 that is slightly longer thancartridge 105 shown in FIG. 1C for insertion into handle 1030 oflauncher 1000. Cartridge 1050 otherwise the same as launcher 105 andduplicative description of its elements are omitted. As illustrated inFIG. 2C, a front surface 1051 of cartridge 1050 is at a 72 degree anglefrom horizontal—in other words, it is at an 18 degree angle fromvertical. As illustrated in FIG. 2C, a rear surface 1052 of cartridge1050 is parallel with front surface 1051—i.e., also 72 degrees fromhorizontal (18 degrees from vertical). Accordingly, handle 1030 oflauncher 1000 includes an opening that corresponds to opening 130 shownin FIG. 1A with side walls that accommodate the angled surfaces ofcartridge 1050 for guided sliding in and out.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, with the notch/recess 330 of catch portion 305engaged with plate 315, the user can push cocking slide 225 forward in asecond priming step—again, in a similar fashion to a cartridge-loadedpistol—see forward arrow adjacent cocking slide 225 in FIG. 3A.According to an exemplary embodiment, barrel 205 is compelled to slideforward towards the front of launcher 100 while catch portion 305 andplunger element 210 are held in place by plate 315. As shown in FIG. 3A,extension spring 220 remains fully extended by the return of cockingslide 225 to its original forward position. Accordingly, plunger element210 forms an air chamber 405 within barrel 205 whereby air is drawn inthrough a front nozzle 410 (see FIG. 2A) of barrel 205. In accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, nozzle 410 may beof a substantially smaller diameter than that of the air chamber 405 sothat a forward push by plunger 210 would expel the air through nozzle410 at a higher pressure.

As further shown in FIG. 3A, as the cocking slide 225 is moved forwardin the direction shown by the forward arrow, the topmost dart 400-1 thatis primed into the position in front of barrel 205 is pushed forwardinto launch barrel 415 in a firing position. According to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, launch barrel 415 has an internaldiameter that provides minimal clearance for darts 400 to allow forsubstantially airtight propulsion from launch barrel 415 upon release ofthe pressurized air in air chamber 405 from barrel 205 through frontnozzle 410.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1A-3A, launch barrel 415 includes a rear portionthat is of a slightly larger internal diameter for fittingly receivingfront nozzle 410 of barrel 205, thereby, again, providing for asubstantially airtight connection from air chamber 405 to the rearsurface of dart 400-1 in the launch position within launch barrel 415.According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, nozzle410 incorporates an O-ring 412 (made from a resilient material, such asa polymer)(see FIG. 2A) around its outer circumference to form a sealaround the internal circumference of the rear portion of launch barrel415 to further improve the airtight connection.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the two side flaps 130 a (not shown) and 130 bengage air piston barrel 205 on respective sides thereof. In operation,when barrel 205 is pushed forward, the sides of barrel 205 engage theslanted trailing edge 145 b (see FIG. 1C) of flap 130 b and acorresponding slanted trailing edge of flap 130 a (not shown) to pushflaps 130 a (not shown) and 130 b outward against their respectivetorsion springs 140 a and 140 b (see FIGS. 1B and 1C).

FIG. 3B is a schematic partial cross-sectional side view correspondingto FIG. 3A but showing launcher 1000 having a slightly longer handle1030 according to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2B. Launcher 1000is otherwise the same as launcher 100 and duplicative description of itselements are omitted. FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional front view across theA-A line in FIG. 3B to show the oval cross section of barrel 205according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. Asillustrated in FIG. 3C, when barrel 205 is in the forward firingposition, spring-loaded side flaps 130 a and 130 b need not be undulyflexed outward to accommodate barrel 205, especially if compared with anair cylinder having a circular cross section that would achieve asimilar internal volume. According to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, plunger element 210 is also substantially oval inshape with a resilient O-ring 212 to form an airtight seal with thesubstantially oval-shaped barrel 205. FIG. 3C also shows cushioningresilient O-ring 214, which is described above with reference to FIG.1A, having a circular shape to further illustrate the comparative volumeadvantage of the oval cross section of barrel 205 with consideration forreducing the needed flexion ranges of flaps 130 a and 130 b. Inembodiments, barrel 205 may incorporate a 7:5 height-to-width ratio (35mm:25 mm), although the ratio is not limited to this.

Next, a trigger pull and launch action will be described. FIG. 4 is aschematic partial cross-sectional side view of launcher 100 illustratinga trigger pull and the launch of the topmost dart 400-1 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4 ,trigger assembly 320 includes an inclined surface 420—which serves as atop camming surface of trigger assembly 320—so that, when triggerassembly 320 is pulled backward by the user, locking plate 315 is causedto move upward along inclined camming surface 420. Trigger assembly 320may be biased forward in a default position by an extension spring 425,such that plate 315 lowers back down along the inclined surface 420 whentrigger 320 is in the forward, default, non-firing position. Morespecifically, a user can pull trigger assembly 320 backward and, astrigger assembly 320 is slid backwards, inclined surface 420 is pulledbackwards and, accordingly, slides plate 315 upward. Consequently, asplate 315 is pushed upward by the top camming surface (inclined surface420) of trigger assembly 320, the engagement between plate 315 andnotch/recess 330 of catch portion 305 is released as aperture 310 ismoved upward to a position that clears notch/recess 330. Thus, asillustrated in FIG. 4 , spring 220 is released from its fully extendedstate thereby pulling rod portion 306 and plunger element 210 forcefullyforward (see forward arrow adjacent extension spring 220 in FIG. 4 ) tothereby expel the collected air from air chamber 405 inside barrel 205through nozzle 410 to launch dart 400-1 through launch barrel 415.Thereafter, trigger assembly 320 is returned to the forward defaultposition and plate 315 is returned to its lowered position by spring425. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure,cocking slide 225 may be pulled backward again to the position shown inFIG. 2A either to prime a next dart 400 from the cartridge 105 into thefiring position shown in FIG. 3A or to remove and replace cartridge 105with a newly-loaded cartridge.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, flaps130 a and 130 b of cartridge 105 are incorporated in place ofconventional rigid frames in conventional foam dart cartridges toprovide for aligning darts 400 when being pushed up into a primingposition (in front of barrel 205 and nozzle 410 as shown in FIG. 2A) byspring 115 and block 120 from the storage area of 105.

Additionally, the resiliency of flaps 130 a and 130 b provided bytorsion springs 140 a and 140 b allows barrel 205 to have a larger widththan darts 400, by having flaps 130 a and 130 b flex outward toaccommodate the sides of barrel 205 when barrel 205 is in the forwardposition shown in FIGS. 1 and 3A-4 . In contrast, conventional magazineclips have two curved rigid arms to contact and align a topmost dart 400(e.g., 400-1 shown in FIG. 2 ) into a priming position. If such rigidarms are used, barrel 205 would be obstructed and a push rod mechanismwould be required, with the push rod being equal at least in length tothe dart 400. Such a launcher would, therefore, need to be longer thanlauncher 100 by at least 37.5 mm—thus, rendering it cumbersome andunacceptable for the quick draw uses of launcher 100. Alternatively,portions of conventional rigid arms of known cartridges may beshortened—and thereby widened with, optionally, a sloped top edge fromfront to back—to provide for a barrel 205 that is slightly wider thanthe clearance of such rigid arms. However, such rigid arms would beexpected to flex outward each time barrel 205 moves forward between themand long-term plastic fatigue may result and affect the ability of therigid arms to hold and align a dart 400 for priming, as described abovewith reference to FIG. 3A.

Thus, according to the present disclosure with flaps 130 a and 130 b,barrel 205 may embody a larger internal volume for air chamber 405—thusincreasing the launch force of launcher 100 on darts 400. As shown inFIGS. 1-4 , barrel 205 has an increased height when compared, forexample, to launch barrel 415. For maintaining similar flexing ranges ofspring-loaded flaps 130 a and 130 b while increasing the internal volumefor air chamber 405, barrel 205 incorporates an elongated cross sectionin its height dimension—such as an oval shape. In embodiments, barrel205 may incorporate a 7:5 height-to-width ratio (35 mm:25 mm), althoughthe ratio is not limited to this.

Advantageously, as shown in FIG. 1 , launcher 100 is capable oflaunching a short foam dart 400 with high velocity and accuracy whilehaving a relative compact profile of a traditional pistol atapproximately 236.72 mm in length and 159.36 mm in height.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic partial cross-sectional views of keyelements of a toy projectile launcher 100 with an empty storage handle105 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.For clarity and simplicity in illustrating the key elements andmechanisms of toy projectile launcher 100 and storage handle 105,portions that are not necessary to understand the scope and the spiritof the present invention are not shown. One of ordinary skill in the artwould readily understand the supporting elements needed to house andsupport the various illustrated elements including the spring-fedstorage area in the handle 105 with various design choices that wouldnot depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an empty storagehandle 105 of a projectile launcher 100 in un-cocked position accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG.5A, projectile launcher 100 is shaped to resemble a pistol and handle105 is shaped to resemble a pistol grip. In embodiments, launcher 100may be in various other shapes and arrangements without departing fromthe spirit and the scope of the invention, as detailed below. Asillustrated in FIG. 5A, a reciprocating air piston assembly 255comprised of a barrel 205 and a plunger assembly 305 is located aboveand behind the handle 105 of the projectile launcher 100. As shown, aloading compression spring 115 of the empty storage handle 105 is in anexpanded state where a pusher block 120 is pushed upward against theinternal barrel 205, which, in the forward un-cocked position shown inFIG. 5A, covers a top opening of the empty storage handle 105. Asdescribed in further detail below, projectiles—such as foamdarts/bullets, balls, and the like—would be advanced by spring 115 viablock 120 such that a topmost projectile would be delivered to a loadingposition in launcher housing 110.

FIG. 5B is a schematic front cross-sectional view of launcher 100 alongthe 5B-5B line in FIG. 5A. As illustrated in FIG. 5B, block 120 abutsair piston barrel 205 at the top opening of the internal storage area ofhandle 105 when the internal storage area in handle 105 is empty.Additionally, the internal storage area of handle 105 includes a set ofresilient side flaps 130 a and 130 b—which may be spring-loaded asdescribed in further detail below—that, as described in further detailbelow, push inward against a projectile for alignment into a launchposition. In the uncocked state shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the two sideflaps 130 a and 130 b engage air piston barrel 205 on respective sidesthereof.

FIG. 5C is an inset closeup side view illustrating details of anassembly 125 a at the top portion of the internal storage area of handle105. As shown in FIG. 5C, assembly 125 a includes spring-loaded flap 130a on a front portion (towards launch barrel 415 of launcher 100, seeFIG. 3A) and a rigid frame 135 a on a rear (or back) portion (towardsthe rear of launcher 100). As described in further detail below, rigidframe 135 a (along with rigid frame 135 b on the other side of launcher100) have a generally rounded shape for fitting around the outer surfaceof barrel 205 of air piston assembly 255 to serve as a movement guidefor barrel 205 in the priming (cocking) process of launcher 100. FIG. 5Cfurther illustrates a torsion spring 140 a that exerts an inward forceon flap 130 a (and a similar spring exerts a corresponding force on flap130 b, not shown) so that the flap would be moved inward towards aloaded projectile, as will be described in further detail below.According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, flap 130a includes a slanted trailing edge 145 a along which it may be pushedoutward by barrel 205 when it is moved forward towards the positionshown in FIG. 5A from a rearward priming (cocked) position, as describedbelow and illustrated in FIG. 6A. Additionally, the slanted trailingedge 145 a of flap 130 a, along with a corresponding trailing edge offlap 130 b (not shown), provide for loading projectiles into handle 105by sliding said projectiles along the trailing edges to push flaps 130 aand 130 b outward, and to allow the projectiles to be inserted into thestorage area of handle 105 (as described in further detail below andillustrated in FIG. 6C). In embodiments, flap 130 a (and flap 130 b) maybe tapered outward towards the rear of launcher 100 for receiving, andfor being pushed outward by, barrel 205 as barrel 205 is moved forwardtowards the position shown in FIG. 5A from a rearward priming positiondescribed below and illustrated in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 6A is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the fully loadedstorage area in the handle 105 attached to projectile launcher 100 in arearward priming and loading (cocked) position according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6A, toy launcher100 includes barrel 205 with a plunger element 210 that form an airpiston assembly 255. According to an exemplary embodiment, the barrel205 of air piston assembly 255 has a generally rounded cylindrical or,as described in further detail below, oval shape and plunger element 210is biased against a back wall 215 of the rear part of launcher housing110 by a compression spring 220. The plunger element 210 incorporates asize and a shape that correspond with an internal circumference ofbarrel 205 so as to form an airtight seal with an internal surface ofbarrel 205. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention,plunger element 210 incorporates a resilient O-ring 212 (FIG. 5A) toform an improved seal.

As illustrated in FIG. 6A, barrel 205 is coupled to a sliding top handleor cocking slide 225 via a projection 230 that is fittingly coupled to arecess 235 in cocking slide 225. The engagement between projection 230on barrel 205 and recess 235 of cocking slide 225 allows a user to pullback barrel 205 and plunger element 210 in a first, pull-back, primingstep. As shown in FIG. 6A, spring 220 is compressed between plungerelement 210 and back wall 215. Advantageously, plunger element 210starts at a position near a front portion of barrel 205, as shown inFIG. 5A, and, therefore, compression spring 220 may be fully compressedin the position illustrated in FIG. 6A. By providing such a longercompression distance to spring 220 (as opposed to compressing anddecompressing spring 220 only in the rear portion of main housing 110behind dart 400-1 shown in FIG. 6A), a lower rated and longer spring maybe used without requiring additional length or space within housing 110to provide, when released, sufficient forward force to launch darts 400at a high velocity.

As will be described in further detail below with reference to FIGS. 7Aand 7C, back wall 215 includes an aperture that allows a dome-shaped rodportion 305 to extend through and past another aperture 310 that isincorporated in a spring-loaded plate 315 that is, in turn, coupled to atrigger assembly 320 (see FIG. 5A). When a user pulls cocking slide 225backward in a fashion similar to a cartridge-loaded pistol (see rearwardarrow adjacent cocking slide 225 in FIG. 6A), a front back-facingsurface of recess 235 pushes on a front-facing surface of projection 230so that rod portion 305 is pushed back as well. As illustrated in FIG.5A, plate 315 is coupled to a compression spring 325 that biases plate315 downward towards a trigger assembly 320. According to an exemplaryembodiment of the invention, the leading edge of dome-shaped rod portion305 is rounded and when it is pushed backward, the rounded leadingsloped edge pushes upward on a top edge of aperture 310 in plate 315,compressing spring 325, so that rod portion 305 can be pushed throughaperture 310 from the front of plate 315 to clear an opposing back sideof plate 315, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A, 6A, and 7A. Once rod portion305 is pushed sufficiently past plate 315 through aperture 310, spring325 moves plate 315 downward into engagement with a notch or recess 330opposite the rounded face of rod portion 305 (see FIG. 5A) so that rodportion 305—and, correspondingly, plunger element 210—is engaged with,and temporarily retained in place by plate 315. As shown in FIG. 6A, thenotch 330 hooks to the opposing back side of plate 315 above aperture310 once plate 315 is pushed downwardly by compression spring 325 intonotch 330 and, accordingly, a top edge of aperture 310 is pushed into abottom surface of notch 330 (see FIGS. 5A and 6A)—thus, plate 315,compression spring 325, and notch 330 together form a latching assemblyfor holding rod portion 305 in the backward position.

As further shown in FIG. 6A and described above, with plunger element210 being pulled back by rod portion 305, spring 220 is compressedagainst the back wall 215 of main launcher housing 110 in the positionat which plate 315 and notch 330 are hooked and engaged with each other.In alternative embodiments, a structural stop (not shown) may be used tolimit the backward motion of cocking slide 225 to the above fullextension position—i.e., the engagement position between notch 330 andplate 315.

Correspondingly, with barrel 205 and cocking slide 225 moved back to theconfiguration shown in FIG. 6A, an opening 335 is created at a topportion of main housing 110, which opening 335 provides for loading ofdarts 400. As shown in FIG. 6A, a fully loaded launcher 100—for example,with six (6) darts 400-1 . . . 400-6—a top toy dart 400-1 in storagehandle 105 is pushed upward and maintained in a priming position infront of barrel 205 in the internal chamber of launcher housing 110—byspring 115 and block 120 exerting an upward force on dart 400-6 and theother darts in storage handle 105. FIG. 6A illustrates a storage handle105 with a capacity for six (6) foam darts but in embodiments, storagehandles may have a different length and capacity for any number of darts400-n up to a reasonable length so as not to render launcher 100 overlycumbersome.

FIG. 6B is a schematic front cross-sectional view of launcher 100 alongthe 6B-6B line in FIG. 6A. As illustrated in FIG. 6B, when the topmostfoam dart 400-1 is in the internal chamber of launcher housing 110, thespring-loaded flaps 130 a and 130 b apply approximately equal inwardforce and approximately equal downward force so that dart 400-1 is heldin place in an aligned priming position in front of barrel 205.

FIG. 6C is a partial front cross section view of a top portion of theinternal storage area (or cartridge) of handle 105 to illustrate loadingof the projectiles—e.g., foam bullets/darts 400. As illustrated in FIG.6C, flaps 130 a and 130 b may be moved outwardly to give way to darts400 being loaded into the storage area of handle 105—for example, bypushing darts 400 against the trailing edges (145 a shown in FIG. 5C) offlaps 130 a and 130 b. Again, once the darts 400 are loaded into thestorage area of handle 105, flaps 130 a and 130 b apply inward anddownward force on topmost dart 400-1 to hold the loaded darts 400 inplace.

Referring now to FIG. 7A, with the notch/recess 330 of rod portion 305engaged with plate 315 via the downward bias of spring 325, the user canpush cocking slide 225 forward in a second priming step—again, in asimilar fashion to a cartridge-loaded pistol—see forward arrow adjacentcocking slide 225 in FIG. 7A. Consequently, according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, a back wall of recess 235 engagesthe back wall of projection 230 during the forward motion of cockingslide 225. Thus, barrel 205 is compelled to slide forward towards thefront of launcher 100 while rod portion 305 and plunger element 210 areheld in place by plate 315. As shown in FIG. 7A, compression spring 220remains fully compressed by the return of cocking slide 225 to itsoriginal forward position. Accordingly, plunger element 210 forms an airchamber 405 within barrel 205 whereby air is drawn in through a frontnozzle 410 of barrel 205. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention, nozzle 410 may be of a substantially smallerdiameter than that of the air chamber 405 so that a forward push byplunger 210 would expel the air through nozzle 410 at a higher pressure.FIG. 7B is a schematic front cross-sectional view of launcher 100 alongthe 7B-7B line in FIG. 7A illustrating a cross section of air chamber405 formed by air piston assembly 255.

As further shown in FIG. 7A, as the cocking slide 225 is moved forwardin the direction shown by the forward arrow, the topmost dart 400-1 thatis primed into the position in front of barrel 205 is pushed forwardinto launch barrel 415 in a firing position. According to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, launch barrel 415 has an internaldiameter that provides minimal clearance for darts 400 to allow forsubstantially airtight propulsion from launch barrel 415 upon release ofthe pressurized air from air cylinder assembly 255.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5A-7A, launch barrel 415 includes a rear portionthat is of a slightly larger internal diameter for fittingly receivingfront nozzle 410 of barrel 205, thereby, again, providing for asubstantially airtight connection from air chamber 405 to the rearsurface of dart 400-1 in the launch position within launch barrel 415.According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, nozzle410 incorporates an O-ring 412 made from a resilient material, such as apolymer, around its outer circumference to form a seal around theinternal circumference of the rear portion of launch barrel 415 tofurther improve the airtight connection.

Next, a trigger pull and launch action will be described. FIG. 7C is acloseup view of the interface between the rear portion of triggerassembly 320 and locking plate 315. As illustrated in FIG. 7C, triggerassembly 320 includes an inclined surface 420 and an upper surface425—which collectively form a top camming surface of trigger assembly320 so that, when trigger assembly 320 is pulled backward by the user,locking plate 315 is caused to move upward from inclined surface 420 tothe upper surface 425 against spring 325. In embodiments, triggerassembly 320 may be biased forward in a default position by a spring(not shown), or the like, such that plate 315 returns to contacting theinclined surface 420 when trigger 320 is in the forward, default,non-firing position.

FIG. 7C, again, illustrates the configuration of the trigger pullaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As shownin FIG. 7C, a user can pull trigger assembly 320 backward and, astrigger assembly 320 is slid backwards (see the extension element 320 bof trigger assembly 320 that fits around storage (or cartridge) handle105—to the rear portion with surfaces 420 and 425, i.e., the top cammingsurface—in the partial cross-sectional side view of FIG. 7A), inclinedsurface 420 is pushed backwards and, accordingly, slides plate 315upward towards upper surface 425. Consequently, as plate 315 is pushedupward by the top camming surface (surfaces 420 and 425) of triggerassembly 320 (see upward arrow adjacent plate 315 in FIG. 7C), theengagement between plate 315 and notch/recess 330 of rod portion 305 isreleased as aperture 310 is moved upward to a position that clearsnotch/recess 330. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 8 , spring 220 isreleased from its fully compressed state thereby driving plunger element210 and rod portion 305 forcefully forward (see forward arrow adjacentcompression spring 220 in FIG. 8 ) to thereby expel the collected airfrom air chamber 405 through nozzle 410 to launch dart 400-1 throughlaunch barrel 415. Correspondingly, trigger assembly 320 is returned tothe forward default position and plate 315 is returned to its loweredposition by compression spring 325. According to an exemplary embodimentof the present invention, cocking slide 225 may be pulled backward againto the position shown in FIG. 6A either to prime a next dart 400 fromthe storage handle 105 into the firing position shown in FIG. 7A or toload additional darts 400 into the storage handle 105 through opening335 shown in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 9 is a drawing illustrating a comparison between a standard foamdart 500 that is 71.5 mm long and a foam dart 400 that is 37.5 mm longfor use with the storage (or cartridge) handle 105 in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention. The shorter dart 400contributes to the portability of launcher 100 and reduces the frictionat the minimal clearance with launch barrel 415 described above, therebyalso providing for higher velocity and accuracy using the air pressurelaunching mechanism described above. In embodiments, storage handle 105may be incorporated in a rifle-style launcher for either short darts(400) or standard darts (500). It should be appreciated that the shorterdart 400 is not limited to the dimensions mentioned herein, and otherdimensions are within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Inexemplary embodiments, the dart 400 may have a length within the rangeof, for example, 30 mm to 50 mm, or 40 mm to 60 mm, or 50 mm to 70 mm.

FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional side view of key elements of toyprojectile launcher 100 with an empty storage area in the handle 105 incorrespondence with the side view of FIG. 5A but from an opposite sideand according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.As shown in FIG. 10 , the internal storage area of handle 105 of toyprojectile launcher may include two pairs of spring-loaded side flaps130 b (along with 130 a on the other side of launcher 100, as shown inFIG. 5A) and 133 b (along with 133 a on the other side, not shown). Inthis embodiment, spring-loaded side flaps 133 b (and 133 a) are disposedat the top portion of the storage area of handle 105 in place of rigidframe 135 a (and 135 b) illustrated in FIG. 5C. Similar to side flaps130 a and 130 b, in the uncocked state shown in FIG. 10 , the two sideflaps 133 a and 133 b engage barrel 205 on respective sides thereof.Correspondingly, side flap 133 b (and 133 a) also incorporates a torsionspring 143 b (and 143 a) that exerts an inward force on flap 133 b sothat the flap would be moved inward towards a loaded projectile. Flap133 b (and 133 a) also includes a slanted trailing edge (similar to 145a shown in FIG. 5C) along which it may be pushed outward by barrel 205when it is moved forward towards the position shown in FIG. 10 from arearward priming (cocked) position, as described above and illustratedin FIG. 6A. Additionally, this slanted trailing edge of flap 133 b,along with a corresponding trailing edge of flap 133 a (not shown),provide for loading projectiles into handle 105 by sliding saidprojectiles along the trailing edges to push flaps 133 a and 133 boutward, and to allow the projectiles to be inserted into the storagearea of handle 105 in correspondence with flaps 130 a and 130 bdescribed above.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, flaps 133b (and 133 a) are incorporated in place of rigid frame 135 b (and 135 a)to address angling and/or misalignment of darts 400 that may occur whenbeing pushed up into a priming position (in front of barrel 205 andnozzle 410 as shown in FIG. 6A) by spring 115 and block 120 from thestorage area of handle 105. For example, with rigid frames 135 a and 135b, the tail end of a dart 400 (e.g., 400-2) may sometimes rise above thefront end of the dart 400 (e.g., 400-2) on a horizontal plane when it ispushed up into the priming position because rigid frames 135 a and 135 bwould not contact such a dart 400 to keep it in place, as illustrated inFIG. 6C. Consequently, the forward motion of the barrel 205 and nozzle410 may cause the dart 400 to jam—and not advance properly to the firingposition in launch barrel 415 shown in FIG. 7A. It was also found thatfusing flaps 130 a and 130 b with frames 135 a and 135 b together toform elongated flaps—similar to flaps 130 a and 130 b but extended tothe positions corresponding to the rear ends of frames 135 a and 135b—would leave space for the front end of a dart 400 to rise above thehorizontal plane, and launcher 100 would, likewise, jam. Therefore,converting rigid frames 135 a and 135 b into hinged spring-loaded flaps133 a and 133 b on the rear (or back) portion (towards the rear oflauncher 100) at a top opening of the storage area improved reliabilityof toy launcher 100. Additionally, conventional magazine clips have twocurved fixed arms similar to rigid frames 135 a and 135 b. For suchrigid arms to contact and align a topmost dart 400 (e.g., 400-1 shown inFIG. 6A) in the priming position, barrel 205 would be obstructed and apush rod mechanism would be required, with the push rod being equal atleast in length to the dart 400. Such a launcher would, therefore, needto be longer than launcher 100 by at least 37.5 mm—thus, rendering itcumbersome and unacceptable for the quick draw uses of launcher 100.

Thus, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, thespring-loaded flaps 133 a and 133 b (in cooperation with flaps 130 a and130 b described above with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B) applyapproximately equal inward force and approximately equal downward forceso that a topmost dart or projectile 400-1 is held in place in analigned priming position in front of barrel 205. Correspondingly, flaps133 a and 133 b may be moved outwardly to give way to darts 400 beingloaded into the storage area of handle 105—for example, by pushing darts400 against the trailing edges of flaps 133 a and 133 b—in a similarmanner with respect to flaps 130 a and 130 b described above withreference to FIG. 6C. Again, once the darts 400 are loaded into thestorage area of handle 105, flaps 133 a and 133 b apply inward anddownward forces on topmost dart 400-1 to hold the loaded darts 400 inplace.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention andas will be described in further detail below, barrel 205 may embody alarger internal volume for air chamber 405—thus increasing the launchforce of launcher 100 on dart 400. As shown in FIG. 10 , barrel 205 hasan increased height when compared, for example, to launch barrel 415.For maintaining similar flexing ranges of spring-loaded flaps 130 a, 130b, 133 a, and 133 b while increasing the internal volume for air chamber405, internal air cylinder assembly 255 incorporates an elongated crosssection in its height dimension—such as an oval shape as illustrated inFIGS. 11A-11C. Accordingly, internal air cylinder assembly 255 maymaintain a similar width to, say, that shown in FIGS. 5B and 7B whileincreasing its height so that spring-loaded flaps 130 a, 130 b, 133 a,and 133 b need not flex to an unduly larger degree than shown in FIGS.5B and 7B to accommodate the increased internal volume of air cylinderassembly 255.

As further illustrated in FIG. 10 , trigger assembly 320 may merelyincorporate an inclined surface 420 at its rear portion to serve as acamming surface (without a discrete upper surface 425 shown in FIG. 7C)so that as inclined surface 420 is pushed backwards, it slides plate 315upward until the engagement between plate 315 and notch/recess 330 ofrod portion 305 is released as aperture 310 is moved upward to aposition that clears notch/recess 330. Additionally, spring 325described above may be embodied by a spring-loaded arm or a leaf spring,as illustrated in FIG. 10 , in an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 11A is a schematic side cross-sectional view of barrel 205′ inlauncher 100 that corresponds to the illustration in FIG. 10 accordingto another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Like elementsshown in FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 11C are denoted by the same referencenumerals as those in FIGS. 5A to 10 , detailed descriptions of whichwill not be repeated. FIG. 11A shows a cross section of air cylinderassembly 255′ in launcher 100 from a side opposite to the side shown inFIG. 10 and, therefore, spring-loaded flaps 130 a and 133 a, along withtorsion springs 140 a and 143 a, are shown in FIG. 11A in correspondencewith spring-loaded flaps 130 b and 133 b, along with torsion springs 140b and 143 b, shown in FIG. 10 , respectively. Launcher 100, as shown inFIG. 11A, is in a firing position with a foam dart 400 primed in afiring position, which corresponds to the firing position shown in FIG.7A of primed foam dart 400-1.

As illustrated in FIG. 11A, launcher 100 may incorporate an enlargedinternal air cylinder assembly 255′ that incorporates a substantiallylarger cross-sectional area than launch barrel 415 and, correspondingly,nozzle 410. As a result, a larger internal volume of air chamber 405 maybe formed by air cylinder assembly 255′ to provide for more compressedair and larger launch force on primed dart 400 through nozzle 410. Inorder to accommodate such a larger air cylinder assembly 255′ withoutunduly increasing the bulk of launcher 100, air cylinder assembly 255′and barrel 205 incorporate a substantially oval shape, as illustrated inFIGS. 11B and 11C.

FIG. 11B is a schematic cross-sectional front view of launcher along the11B-11B line in FIG. 11A; and FIG. 11C is a closeup front partialcross-sectional view of barrel 205′ of the launcher 100 shown in FIGS.11A and 11B according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. As illustrated in FIG. 11C, internal air cylinder assembly255′ may incorporate a 7:5 height-to-width ratio (35 mm:25 mm)Consequently, as shown in FIG. 11B, when air cylinder assembly 255′ isin the forward firing position, spring-loaded side flaps 130 a and 130 b(and, correspondingly, spring-loaded side flaps 133 a and 133 b shown inFIGS. 10 and 11A, respectively) need not be unduly flexed outward toaccommodate barrel 205′, especially if compared with an air cylinderhaving a circular cross section that would achieve a similar internalvolume. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, plungerelement 210′ is also substantially oval in shape with a resilient O-ring212 to form an airtight seal with the substantially oval-shaped barrel205′. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, plunger element 210′ mayincorporate a center plug 910 to reinforce the structural integrity ofplunger element 210′ during launch. According to an exemplaryembodiment, center plug 910 also has a substantially oval shape thatcorresponds to the shapes of barrel 205′ and plunger element 210′.

Advantageously, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, launcher 100 is capableof launching a short foam dart 400 with high velocity and accuracy whilehaving a relative compact profile of a traditional pistol atapproximately 236.73 mm in length and 153.63 mm in height.

FIG. 12 includes a number of diagrams illustrating the toy projectilelauncher 100 being inserted and housed in a corresponding holster 700according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.Specifically, FIG. 12 illustrates a fitted holster 700 that includes abase having two loops 705 and 710 for receiving a belt, strap, harness,or the like (not shown) for fastening holster 700 to a user or theuser's garment. As shown in FIG. 12 , holster 700 is rotatable aroundits base along an arced track 715 so as to position launcher 100 at 0degrees, 15 degrees, and 30 degrees, respectively. According to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention, holster 700 includes alocking mechanism (not shown) for fixing holster 700 to one of the threepositions (0 degrees, 15 degrees, and 30 degrees)—or any positiontherebetween—according to a user's preference for quick draw play.Holster 700 may also be positioned beyond the 0 degrees and 30 degreespositions up to points where launcher 100 would not exit holster due togravity.

Although the exemplary embodiment is described in the context of a foambullet/dart launcher that utilizes shortened foam bullets/darts, it isto be understood that the two-step priming/loading and firing actionaccording to the present disclosure could be applied to a toy projectilelauncher of other types of projectiles (e.g. a ball or the like) or afluid launcher whereby the fluid from a reservoir in the handle isdriven by a plunger. In such environment the two-step priming/pumpingaction of the present disclosure enables a handheld high-velocity fluidburst launcher.

While particular embodiments of the present disclosure have been shownand described in detail, it would be obvious to those skilled in the artthat various modifications and improvements thereon may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. It is thereforeintended to cover all such modifications and improvements that arewithin the scope of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A toy projectile launcher, comprising: a launchbarrel; a handle comprising an internal projectile storage area; atleast one pair of resilient flaps, the at least one pair of resilientflaps being inwardly biased and disposed on respective first and secondsides at a top opening of the internal projectile storage area; an airpiston assembly that comprises a barrel and a plunger element; a slidinghandle coupled to the barrel, the sliding handle being movable between aforward position and a backward position, thereby moving the barrelbetween corresponding forward and backward positions; a spring thatbiases the plunger element towards a front portion of the toy projectilelauncher; and a latching assembly that couples the plunger element to atrigger assembly when the sliding handle is moved to the backwardposition and the barrel is moved to the corresponding backward position,wherein the barrel covers at least a portion of the top opening when inthe corresponding forward position forming an airtight seal between thelaunch barrel and the barrel and the one or more pairs of resilientflaps contact the respective first and second sides of the barrel, andthe trigger assembly, upon toggling, releases the coupling of thelatching assembly between the plunger element and the trigger assembly.2. The toy projectile launcher of claim 1, wherein the plunger elementextends the extension spring away from the front portion when thesliding handle is moved to the backward position.
 3. The toy projectilelauncher of claim 1, wherein a projectile from the internal projectilestorage area is held between the at least one pair of resilient flapswhen the barrel is moved to the corresponding backward position.
 4. Thetoy projectile launcher of claim 1, wherein the sliding handle, whenmoved to the backward position, creates an opening in the toy projectilelauncher for loading projectiles into the internal projectile storagearea.
 5. The toy projectile launcher of claim 1, wherein, when thesliding handle is moved from the backward position to the forwardposition with the latching assembly coupling the plunger element to thetrigger assembly, the barrel is moved to the corresponding forwardposition and forms an internal air chamber with the plunger element, theinternal air chamber being filled with air drawn in from a front nozzleof the barrel.
 6. The toy projectile launcher of claim 5, wherein theplunger element is pulled forward by the extension spring to expel theair from the internal air chamber through the front nozzle of the barrelwhen the coupling of the latching assembly between the plunger elementand the trigger assembly is released.
 7. The toy projectile launcher ofclaim 5, further comprising a projectile in the internal air chamberimmediately adjacent the front nozzle of the barrel.
 8. The toyprojectile launcher of claim 1, wherein the barrel has an ovalcross-section.
 9. The toy projectile launcher of claim 8, wherein theoval shape of the barrel incorporates a 7:5 height-to-width ratio.
 10. Atoy projectile launcher, comprising: a launch barrel; a projectilestorage area; a pair of inwardly-biased resilient flaps disposed onrespective first and second sides at a top opening of the projectilestorage area; an oval-shaped air piston assembly that comprises a barreland a plunger element; a sliding handle coupled to the barrel, thesliding handle being movable between a forward position and a backwardposition, thereby moving the barrel between corresponding forward andbackward positions; a spring that biases the plunger element towards afront portion of the toy projectile launcher; and a latching assemblythat couples the plunger element to a trigger assembly when the slidinghandle is moved to the backward position and the barrel is moved to thecorresponding backward position, wherein the barrel covers the topopening when in the corresponding forward position forming an airtightseal between the launch barrel and the barrel and the pair ofinwardly-biased resilient flaps contact the respective first and secondsides of the barrel, and the trigger assembly, upon toggling, releasesthe coupling of the latching assembly between the plunger element andthe trigger assembly.
 11. A toy projectile launcher, comprising: alaunch barrel; a handle comprising an internal projectile storage area;at least one pair of resilient flaps, the at least one pair of resilientflaps being inwardly biased and disposed on respective first and secondsides at a top opening of the internal projectile storage area; an airpiston assembly that comprises a barrel and a plunger element; a slidinghandle coupled to the barrel, the sliding handle being movable between aforward position and a backward position, thereby moving the barrelbetween corresponding forward and backward positions; a compressionspring that biases the plunger element away from a rear wall in the toyprojectile launcher; and a latching assembly that couples the plungerelement to a trigger assembly when the sliding handle is moved to thebackward position and the barrel is moved to the corresponding backwardposition, wherein the barrel covers at least a portion of the topopening when in the corresponding forward position forming an airtightseal between the launch barrel and the barrel and the one or more pairsof resilient flaps contact the respective first and second sides of thebarrel, and the trigger assembly, upon toggling, releases the couplingof the latching assembly between the plunger element and the triggerassembly.
 12. The toy projectile launcher of claim 11, wherein theplunger element compresses the compression spring against the rear wallwhen the sliding handle is moved to the backward position.
 13. The toyprojectile launcher of claim 11, wherein a projectile from the internalprojectile storage area is held between the at least one pair ofresilient flaps when the barrel is moved to the corresponding backwardposition.
 14. The toy projectile launcher of claim 11, wherein thesliding handle, when moved to the backward position, creates an openingin the toy projectile launcher for loading projectiles into the internalprojectile storage area.
 15. The toy projectile launcher of claim 11,wherein, when the sliding handle is moved from the backward position tothe forward position with the latching assembly coupling the plungerelement to the trigger assembly, the barrel is moved to thecorresponding forward position and forms an internal air chamber withthe plunger element, the internal air chamber being filled with airdrawn in from a front nozzle of the barrel.
 16. The toy projectilelauncher of claim 15, wherein the plunger element is pushed forward bythe compression spring to expel the air from the internal air chamberthrough the front nozzle of the barrel when the coupling of the latchingassembly between the plunger element and the trigger assembly isreleased.
 17. The toy projectile launcher of claim 15, furthercomprising a projectile in the internal air chamber immediately adjacentthe front nozzle of the barrel.
 18. The toy projectile launcher of claim11, wherein the at least one pair of resilient flaps comprises a frontpair of resilient flaps and a back pair of resilient flaps disposed atrespective front and back portions of the top opening of the internalprojectile storage area.
 19. The toy projectile launcher of claim 18,wherein the barrel has an oval cross-section.
 20. The toy projectilelauncher of claim 19, wherein the oval shape of the barrel incorporatesa 7:5 height-to-width ratio.
 21. A toy projectile launcher, comprising:a projectile storage area; a front pair of inwardly-biased resilientflaps disposed on respective first and second sides at a front portionof a top opening of the projectile storage area; a rear pair ofinwardly-biased resilient flaps disposed on the respective first andsecond sides at a rear portion of the top opening of the projectilestorage area; an oval-shaped air piston assembly that comprises a barreland a plunger element; a sliding handle coupled to the barrel, thesliding handle being movable between a forward position and a backwardposition, thereby moving the barrel between corresponding forward andbackward positions; a compression spring that biases the plunger elementaway from a rear wall in the toy projectile launcher; and a latchingassembly that couples the plunger element to a trigger assembly when thesliding handle is moved to the backward position and the barrel is movedto the corresponding backward position, wherein the barrel covers thetop opening when in the corresponding forward position and the front andrear pairs of the inwardly-biased resilient flaps contact the respectivefirst and second sides of the barrel, and the trigger assembly, upontoggling, releases the coupling of the latching assembly between theplunger element and the trigger assembly.
 22. A toy projectile launcher,comprising: a launch barrel; a body and a handle; a projectile storagearea in the handle in communication with the body; and an air pistonassembly in the body, the air piston assembly comprising a barrel, aplunger element and a nozzle, the barrel moveable relative to theplunger from an uncocked position to a cocked position wherein thenozzle is immediately adjacent the projectile storage area adjacent thebody in the cocked position forming an airtight seal between the barreland the launch barrel.
 23. The toy projectile launcher of claim 22,wherein the air piston assembly has an oval shaped cross-section with anarrower side extending across a width of the body of the launcher.